Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 40-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
The lyrics for “One Man’s Anger” twist and turn as opposed to pointedly blame. In keeping with the album’s title, Empathy For The Evil, it isn’t about excusing or forgiving that anger. Hinting at the underlying complexities of pain and fear, it turns out this specific man is not a bad man, no.
While I was reviewing possible illustrations, this one felt too obvious, and I do like to steer clear of associations that resonate 100 percent. Then I noticed that the man’s face shows emotions other than anger. The energized scribbly red says anger, but there certainly appears to be surprise or fear in there, too. The red throws us off. We have to look a little closer to see the fear and pain.
“One Man’s Anger” from Empathy For The Evil (M’lady’s, 2014) (download):
